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The news certainly made the German Green Party very happy: a few days ago it received a donation of half a million euros, which is the largest in its history. The donor’s name is Antonis Schwartz, heir to the famous “Schwartz” pharmaceutical company. What else is known about the young millionaire?
The history of the Schwartz family
Antonis Schwartz grew up in Munich. His mother is Greek and his father is from the Schwartz family, who founded the pharmaceutical company of the same name after World War II, which was once one of the 80 largest public limited companies in Germany and has 4,200 employees. In 2006, the Schwartz family sold the company to the Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB for € 4.4 billion. At the time, the agreement attracted attention not only because of the high price, but also because of the gift for the company’s employees: 10,000 euros for each, except for the management. The purpose of the voucher is to put people at ease when you sell. “As a family business, we are committed to our employees,” said Patrick Schwartz-Schüte, CEO of the company at the time. The bonuses cost the family € 42 million.
Antonis Schwartz inherited the family property at age 18, but did not touch it until he studied. He studied European Studies in London and Management in Madrid, and in 2013 he moved to Athens. Even during his studies, the wealthy heir ponders how he could change the world for the better. Especially after facing the apathy of his peers, who were not interested in his responsibility for the future, but only in their professional careers. “Everyone wanted to work in a big bank and get bonuses. And I realized that a career in a company is not for me,” Schwartz told the German newspaper Wirtschaftswohe. The young millionaire focused on social projects. Donors in 2014 founded in Athens the portal “Vouliwatch”, which aims to make more transparent not only donations to parties, but also the activities of individual parliamentarians. In 2016, Schwartz also founded the Guerilla Foundation, which supports activists and social movements in Europe.
Money like a magic wand
“As a wealthy person, you have the opportunity to move certain things. You have a kind of magic wand that allows you to achieve change for the better. And it is unacceptable not to do it in critical times like today,” explains Antonis Schwartz. About 30% of your money is invested in so-called Impact Investments, investments that are governed by the principles of sustainability, ecology and ethics. Schwartz’s Linkedin profile shows that he has been working as a freelance manager for the newly created company Curingshot, which offers healthy ginger and turmeric drinks, and for several months now, the Greens donated 65,000 euros to the party in 2019. The year Last year, Schwartz was one of 83 millionaires who signed a letter asking politicians to levy higher taxes on them during a pandemic.
Germany
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